We undertook an unannounced inspection of Shrublands on 16 November 2017.

The Shrublands is a family owned and managed residential home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to nine older people. Some people may have varying types and degrees of dementia. On the day of our inspection nine people were living at the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good overall.

Why the service is rated Good:

People remained safe living in the home. There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs and staff had time to spend with people. Risk assessments were carried out and promoted positive risk taking which enable people to live their lives as they chose. People received their medicines safely and the registered manager had made improvements to medicines guidance since our last inspection.

People continued to receive effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them and meet their needs. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the procedures in the service supported this practice. People were supported to access health professionals when needed and staff worked closely with people's GPs to ensure their health and well-being was monitored.

The service continued to provide support in a caring way. Staff supported people with kindness and compassion. Staff respected people as individuals and treated them with dignity. People were involved in decisions about their care needs and the support they required to meet those needs.

The service continued to be responsive to people's needs and ensured people were supported in a personalised way. People's changing needs were responded to promptly. People had access to a variety of activities that met their individual needs.

The service was led by a registered manager who promoted a service that put people at the forefront of all the service did. There was a positive culture that valued people, relatives and staff and promoted a caring ethos.

The registered manager monitored the quality of the service and looked for continuous improvement. There was a clear vision to deliver high-quality care and support and promote a positive culture that was person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering which achieved good outcomes for people.

We undertook an unannounced inspection of Shrublands on 16 November 2017.

The Shrublands is a family owned and managed residential home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to nine older people. Some people may have varying types and degrees of dementia. On the day of our inspection nine people were living at the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good overall.

Why the service is rated Good:

People remained safe living in the home. There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs and staff had time to spend with people. Risk assessments were carried out and promoted positive risk taking which enable people to live their lives as they chose. People received their medicines safely and the registered manager had made improvements to medicines guidance since our last inspection.

People continued to receive effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them and meet their needs. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the procedures in the service supported this practice. People were supported to access health professionals when needed and staff worked closely with people's GPs to ensure their health and well-being was monitored.

The service continued to provide support in a caring way. Staff supported people with kindness and compassion. Staff respected people as individuals and treated them with dignity. People were involved in decisions about their care needs and the support they required to meet those needs.

The service continued to be responsive to people's needs and ensured people were supported in a personalised way. People's changing needs were responded to promptly. People had access to a variety of activities that met their individual needs.

The service was led by a registered manager who promoted a service that put people at the forefront of all the service did. There was a positive culture that valued people, relatives and staff and promoted a caring ethos.

The registered manager monitored the quality of the service and looked for continuous improvement. There was a clear vision to deliver high-quality care and support and promote a positive culture that was person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering which achieved good outcomes for people.

The home was providing care to seven people and employed seven care workers at the time of our inspection.

We found that people’s privacy, dignity and independence were respected. One relative told us, ''I really like the fact that the home allows people to take risks. People are not kept out of the kitchen or laundry because it might be unsafe. People are supported to take part in the daily domestic activities whilst care workers keep them safe''. We observed that care workers interacted with people in a sensitive and professional manner.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. One person and four relatives we spoke with all made positive comments about their experience of the home and the care delivered. Care workers were responsive to people’s changing needs and care was adjusted as required.

We found that improvements had been made to the home’s safeguarding protocols. A system was in place to prevent financial abuse and to identify any discrepancies quickly.

We found that people were cared for by care workers who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. Improvements had been made to the induction and supervision arrangements. One care worker we spoke with told us ''we can ask the manager at any time to book us on one of the induction sessions''.

We saw that the home had introduced new needs assessment and care planning records. People’s care records were detailed and accurate. Two care workers we spoke with confirmed that there had been an improvement in the quality of care records. They both told us that records were now very clear and that ''you know exactly what you need to do to support someone in the right way''.

We spoke to two people who use service during our visit. Both people told us that they were being looked after well by the staff and that they had been with the provider for a while. One person told us that the staff were nice to her and helped her with her family. She told us that she was happy living with other people as she found this interesting as they all had different backgrounds. She started that she did not have any problems and was aware that staff were available to support her with her daily needs as she was getting on. Another person told us that staff were very helpful in ensuring that her nails were kept neat and clean. She told us that she had her nails done every week as she played the piano for other people hence needed her nails looking nice.

We also spoke with three staff members during the visit. All the staff we spoke with told us that they felt supported and enjoyed their work. Staff told us that although it could be challenging they could rely on each and the knowledge of people using the service ensured that they could support and care for people well. Staff told us that they received regular training which was relevant to their area of work which was beneficial to their professional development and care being delivered to people.